Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State

Archive for March, 2010

During the month of March, we uploaded a couple of new towns to NC Postcards. The card above shows a busy street corner in Enka. Be sure to check them out! Enka, Buncombe County Polkville, Cleveland County The card below is a real photo view of the Tapoco power dam in Graham County. The card […]

“Taking the offensive [in 1937], Josiah Bailey, the North Carolina senator, issued a ‘manifesto’ demanding tax cuts and a balanced budget, and heralding private enterprise and states’ rights. Bailey hoped to reenergize the bipartisan coalition that had beaten [FDR’s plan to pack the Supreme Court] and, ultimately, to spark a political realignment. Though the manifesto […]

The above postcard shows the Lake Mattamuskeet hotel and restaurant in New Holland, NC. The building used to be a pumping station, but it was converted to a lodge in 1937. We had originally described the postcard as showing a lodge and a lighthouse, but that is not the case: although it’s been painted in […]

Bridget’s post on image vs. reality in Cherokee postcards reminded me of these similarly market-driven pinback buttons. Such “tourist” buttons were especially common in the 1930s, but they typically depicted America’s natural wonders or historic sites, not its human beings…. Make of that what you will.

The NC State Archives and Library recently mounted a new digital collection of photographs called, “Views from Variety Vacationland: Historic North Carolina Travel and Tourism Photos.” The project description notes: The initial pilot project contains 1130 images from the North Carolina Conservation and Development Department, Travel and Tourism Division Photo Files pertaining to six popular […]

In homage to the Chatham County Courthouse—seen here in 1940 as evidenced by the “Wilkins P. Horton for Governor” campaign banner hanging over Pittsboro Street—that was severely damaged by a fire yesterday afternoon.

“When the [Senate Watergate Committee’s] report failed to single out the President, [Chairman Sam Ervin explained] that it was possible to draw a picture of a horse in two ways. You could draw the picture with a very good likeness. Or you could draw the picture and write under it, ‘This is a horse.’ Well, […]

The postcard above shows an aerial view of the Cherokee Indian Reservation from ca. 1940-1950. In the lower middle of the card, you can see a small main street of the town of Cherokee. Recently, we’ve uploaded many real photo postcards of Western North Carolina, including the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Swain County. These postcards […]

“During the early 1950s [the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations] had been chaired by Senator Clyde Hoey, a mild-mannered Democrat from North Carolina. Under Hoey’s leadership the subcommittee had investigated such bland subjects as… the reorganization of the Bureau of Customs. [Joe] McCarthy, the ranking Republican, had attended fewer than […]